Gas-liquid mass transfer in a vortex-ingesting, agitated draft tube reactor

Gas-liquid mass transfer coefficients have been measured in a vortex-ingesting draft tube reactor, known as the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR), over a range of specific power inputs and for various geometries, using the hydrogen peroxide reduction technique. Experimental results are presented for the effects of changing the liquid level and draft tube top clearance on k(L)a in both distilled and tap water. Correlations are proposed in terms of the specific power input, which allow prediction of the AGR mass transfer performance over a range of geometric conditions. These experimental data are also compared with empirical correlations from the literature. The AGR is shown to generate similar values of k(L)a to other self-inducing and gas sparged designs at the same specific power input, but with the advantage that the mass transfer performance is less susceptible to variations in the liquid level.